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February 2024

‘Why Doesn’t Hamas Go to Hell and Hide There?’: Other Voices from Gaza by Bassam Tawil

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/20383/voices-from-gaza

One can understand why Al-Jazeera and Arab media journalists are so anti-Israel that they do not want to provide a platform to any Palestinian to criticize Hamas. Yet, one cannot understand why the foreign media is turning a blind eye to the critical voices coming out from the Gaza Strip and Palestinians and Arabs living outside the Hamas-ruled coastal enclave.

Why? These journalists are busy searching for stories that reflect badly only on Israel.

“Anyone who questioned Hamas’s motives or objectives has been painted as a cowardly collaborator. To demand better living conditions or more political liberties was akin to treason…. Others are reluctant to speak out against Hamas for fear of seeming disloyal or pro-Israel. If people outside of Gaza find it difficult to question the forced conformity, imagine how much more challenging it is for many inside the coastal enclave.” — Ahmed Fouad Al-Khatib, X (Twitter), January 6, 2024.

“You’re either going to govern and develop the place, or you’re going to be a resistance group, but you can’t do both at the same time…. Hamas could have made different choices that would have opened new political pathways for Palestinian unity and the development of Gaza. Instead, they chose to hold their people hostage and divert materials and resources into a futile armed resistance project that has set Palestinians back by decades.” — Ahmed Fouad Al-Khatib, X, February 4, 2024.

“Those who don’t have to live with the consequences of Hamas’s “resistance” are understandably the group’s most fervent supporters and excusers (weirdly especially in London). Leave it to lousy beneficiaries of Western privilege to defend a terror group that oppresses its own people and uses them as cannon fodder in its suicidal adventures… Never forget that over 30,000 Gazans would still be alive today if Hamas kept its fighters at home on October 7. The pro-Palestine movement deserves better ‘allies’ and ‘supporters’ than overt & covert Hamas enthusiasts.” — Ahmed Fouad Al-Khatib, X, February 2, 2024.

“Anti-Hamas = Zionist. Call for coexistence = Zionist. Condemn Hamas = Zionist. Both sides’ lives matter = Zionist. Sympathize with Israeli hostages = Zionist. How many definitions are there for Zionist? …. I forgot the most important one: Peace supporter = Zionist.” — Hamza, X, February 5, 2024.

[Palestinian writer Majdi Abd Al-Wahhab] called on the international community and the Arab world to act to eliminate all the Palestinian organizations and stop their military and civilian activity, “so that the Palestinians will be rid of them and their harm and can start blazing a new, straight path for themselves, far from destruction, killing and devastation.”

“The destruction caused by Hamas to Gaza will not end even if Israel’s war on Gaza does stop. The destruction will continue, as is evident from the ‘glorious’ history of our [Palestinian] organizations.” — Majdi Abd Al-Wahhab, Elaph, January 9, 2024.

Our Crazy Cousins North Of The Border

https://issuesinsights.com/2024/02/13/our-crazy-cousins-north-of-the-border/

If there ever were a sign that Canada has gone cuckoo, it has to be a bill introduced in Parliament that would censor speech about fossil fuel. No, we’re not joking, though we hope the bill’s author is. We fear, however, he isn’t.

One Charlie Angus, a New Democratic Party member of the House of Commons from Timmins–James Bay in Ontario, has brought before that chamber Bill C-372. It clearly states that “it is prohibited for a person to promote a fossil fuel, a fossil fuel-related brand element or the production of a fossil fuel except as authorized by the provisions of this Act or of the regulations.”

Under the legislation, it is further “prohibited for a person to promote a fossil fuel or the production of a fossil fuel … i​​n a manner that states or suggests that a fossil fuel or the practices of a producer or of the fossil fuel industry would lead to positive outcomes in relation to the environment, the health of Canadians, reconciliation with Indigenous peoples or the Canadian or global economy; or … by using terms, expressions, logos, symbols or illustrations that are prohibited by the regulations.”

Does “nuts” adequately describe the thinking behind this bill? It is most certainly outrageous.

If we read the Canadian version of English correctly, merely pointing out the indisputable fact that civilization would break down without fossil fuels would be a lawbreaking offense. So would arguing that vehicles with internal combustion engines are better for the environment than trendy electric vehicles, or pointing out that natural gas is a cheaper, more reliable source of energy that wind and solar.

The punishment depends on which provisions are violated, with the most punitive corrective measures being $1.5 million fines and two-year prison terms.

Not all Canadians are crazy, of course. Yet the effete, shallow yet odious Justin Trudeau is in his third term as prime minister, so there is an abundance of poor thinking among the electorate.

NOAH BECK: A THANK YOU LETTER FROM HAMAS TO THE MEDIA AUGUST 9, 2014

http://www.thecommentator.com/article/5114/a_thank_you_letter_from_hamas_to_the_media

You in the mainstream media have been amazing in your support for Hamas, and we’re so grateful to you. This really helps us in spreading anti-Semitism, and starting new rounds of terror at will. Blessings be upon you, love from Hamas

Dear Members of the Mainstream Media,

You’ve been awesome! Everyone knows that we start unwinnable wars with Israel because the real victory happens when you predictably side with us each time. And you’ve been so supportive of our strategy that we really want to acknowledge your helpfulness. In particular, we thank you for:

–Focusing so much more on our suffering than anyone else’s. Nigerians must die in far greater numbers before you take notice, so we’re glad that you value our lives so much more.

-Minimizing your coverage, if any, of our attacks that led up to Israel’s military response and generally providing so little context that outsiders think that Israelis kill Palestinians just for fun. We’re especially grateful to the French media for this.

Their distortions of the conflict are so one-sided that they incite Muslims across France to attack Jews and synagogues, and that is welcomed by our anti-Semitic worldview (although, unfortunately, such attacks remind everyone why Jews need a state).

-Emphasizing our civilian death toll without explaining that (1) our casualty reports are hasty and inflated, and (2) we maximize that total by using Palestinians to shield our weapons and by urging them to stay in the very areas that the IDF — in its annoying effort to minimize our civilian deaths — warns Gazans to evacuate.